A Local Hero

A Local Hero

We present to you this journalistic gem in the February 13, 1903 issue of the Rat Portage Miner about a coat thief and a local hero.

Christmas in Rat Portage

Christmas in Rat Portage

Christmas in Rat Portage was a community celebration. Perhaps the isolation, and the distance from extended families, was behind this tradition of the whole town gathering together.

Dear Mother: A Bride’s Letters Home

Dear Mother: A Bride’s Letters Home

On December 31, 1912, Nellie Perry Winslow of Saco, Maine, married Joseph Rideout of Kenora, Ontario. The following are excerpts of letters written by Nellie to her mother describing her new life in Kenora during her first few months of marriage.

The Five Roses Cookbook

The Five Roses Cookbook: Being a Manual of Good Recipes was a compilation of almost 600 recipes carefully chosen from the contribution of over two thousand successful users of Five Roses flour throughout Canada and was issued by the Lake of the Woods Milling Company.

The Women of Kenora

The Women of Kenora

For International Women’s Day, we take a look at some of the women-led organizations in Kenora’s history and their various contributions.

On Active Duty

On Active Duty

Through their letters home, take a glimpse into the day-to-day lives of three Kenora soldiers serving overseas during various wars.

McLeod Park

McLeod Park

McLeod Park Lake of the Woods Museum NewsletterVol. 13 No. 3 – Fall 2003 by Lori Nelson   There’s a small parcel of land situated between downtown Kenora and Tunnel Island that, in its history, mirrors a substantial part of the development of the entire...

Farming on the Canadian Shield

Farming on the Canadian Shield LOUIS HILLARD’S FINE FARM Rat Portage Miner and News – September 6, 1904 Excerpted from a letter written to the editor by a visitor to Mr. Hillard’s farm which was located in Jaffray, about 2 miles from downtown Rat Portage (now Kenora)....

Western Algoma Brick Co.

Western Algoma Brick Co.   Lake of the Woods Museum NewsletterVol. 17 No. 2 – Spring 2007   On July 31, 1894, the local newspaper, The Semi-Weekly Record, made this pronouncement… “The wooden era of our town is at an end and we have entered upon the brick...

Rat Portage Becomes Kenora

Local legend has it that the town’s name was changed from Rat Portage to Kenora because the Maple Leaf Milling Company was reluctant to establish a mill here if it meant having to put the word rat on their flour bags. Adding credence to the story is that when the milling company did build here in 1905, Rat Portage was no longer. The town’s new name was Kenora.

1900

1900

A summary of major events taking place in the year 1900 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.

1901

1901

A summary of major events taking place in the year 1901 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.

1902

1902

A summary of major events taking place in the year 1902 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.

1903

1903

A summary of major events taking place in the year 1903 in the Rat Portage / Kenora area and on Lake of the Woods.